Something I Need
by Probably-Not-Morgan-Freeman
Summary: They had sex. She found out it was only for a bet. She also found out she was pregnant from said sexual relations. Joy Brantly's life seems to be plunging increasingly fast down the toilet.
1. Chapter 1

**Prolouge**

In all honesty, this WASN'T how I expected to spend my last day over summer vacation. I was supposed to be home, in London, curled up in my monkey print pajamas with a bowl of cereal on my lap, my older brother and the remote next to me, completing our summer morning ritual of pigging out and watching TV until 10. We would have watched longer if it weren't form Mom walking in, her heels taping and her perfume feeling our nostrils, throwing the curtains open and filling the den with as much light as humanly possible.

She would then force us to get off the comfortable couch, and become 'Great People Of Society'.

Ugh.

But, no. Here I was, still on the couch, the leather digging uncomfortably into the back of my legs, seeing as I was wearing the last pair of clean pants I had, which was a pair of shorts I hadn't worn since I was ten. Though, seeing as i'm only a tiny 4'11" its not much of a stretch. I'm unnaturally tiny for a 17 year old, so tiny that my brother actually accomplished at shoving me into a locker at my fathers work earlier this summer. Though, I had gained wait due to...

"MY DAUGHTER DOES NOT LIE!" I heard my mother roar from her office, and my fathers kind, quite voice saying something, calming her down like he did to the disgruntled teenagers at the muggle highschool where he taught.

"I wasn't saying she was lying, I was saying, how do we know its the truth?" Came the a higher, more feminine voice. Like the sound of the birds that perched outside my window early in the morning, chirping loudly and obnoxiously until I gave up on sleep and pulled my pained body out of bed.

Acrossed the room, was him.

Fred Weasley.

_He was kissing my neck. HE was kissing my neck. My heart was fluttering so hard in my chest, i was scared it would break threw and fly away with its newly grown pair of wings. Atleast I'd die happy. _

_His hand was traveling him my leg, pushing the skirt up ever so slowly, taunting me and sending my breath out even faster. _

_Then he looked up at me with those big brown eyes, and i knew that any inner strength I had was gone, leaving me at the whims of the boy I'd secretly admired since 1st year, but never had the courage to talk to. _

STOP, Joy! I scolded myself. Remember what he did? He's no saint.

_I rounded was in oblivion, that same smile that had been on my face since last week present. Me. Him. My face face felt like fire and my mouth hurt from smiling so much. _

_ "-Joy Brantly." _

_I stopped at the door, the smile falling off my face at the use of my name. I peeked inside. It was him, Fred, along with his twin, and a few of his friends that were from Gryfindor, also._

_ "I can't believe she would just sleep with you like that." _

_Someone laughed, and i heard the creak of a bench. "She's a nerd. You could tell she was enthused by just being in my presence. Now, where my money. I seem to have won the bet." _

_Bet? _

_My heart fell, and I stood frozen in the doorway, listening to him tell of our encounter in a mocking voice._

__Knocked up on a bet. How...shitty. Then again, I didn't want him to know at all, but THAT plan obviously wasn't working out to great.


	2. Chapter 2

**I renamed the story, just incase your wondering 'What is this odd contraption?'  
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**Chapter One**

I was late. For class, and pretty much school in general. Mom had insisted on seeing a doctor, checking to make sure everything was good under the hood before giving me the 'ok' to go back to school.

And I swear, I have never been through anything so awkward in my life.

_"Your going to SQUIRT that on my stomach? What. NO." I gasped, sitting up at the sight of the odd container in the palm of the rather cute Asian doctor infront of me. He was decked in blue scrubs, with his hair messed up, and a pair of black square glasses perched on his nose. _

_"Atleast he's not shoving it up your-" _

With a quick shake of my head, I willed that memory away, hoping that if I pretended that whole doctor incident hadn't happened, then it didn't.

I just had a think with personal space, and in all honestly, I would rather not even have doctors touch me. Then there is the fact that the one time you actually get over it, and try to be with someone, they stab you in the back.

_If only I could do that with all problems_, I thought wistfully, touching the tiny little bump on my belly. The first time I touched it, a week ago when I first noticed it, it hadn't felt soft, and plump, like I'd expected. It was firm, like a little prison cell protecting the parasite stealing my lunch and Twinkies.

And here I was, standing in front of the large dark oak doors of the Defense Against The Dark Arts class, books for all of my school hours fourth and down, a pink note from my house head, and my wand shoved into the waistband of my black skirt.

And I was scared.

What if everyone knew? What if...

My world-wind of thoughts was cut off, due to the doors flying open, revealing me, standing awkwardly with one hand on my stomach, gaping into the class room, which in return, was gaping back at me.

I ignored the stares, mostly the ginger haired ones, and took a tentative step into the class room, my knees wobbling underneath me.

Infront of the class was a rather short, pudgy faced woman who was decked in what must have been pounds of pink fabric.

"And you are?" She called out, her voice high and squeaky, like the sound moms Chihuahua Pooka makes when someone accidentally steps on her.

"I'm...Joy Brantly. I'm...late. I have a note." The moment I held up the tiny pink piece of paper, she gave a flip of her want, and it went flying over heads and into her pudgy little hand.

She read it slowly, smirking. "You do look the sort." She said, eying me. Then she crumbled it up. "Five points from Hufflepuff."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"

"For causing a disturbance in my class." She replied, her voice sugar sweet, and a large, fake smile pasted onto her puffy face."Now please take your seat, its not healthy for someone in your...condition to be standing to much."

My hands clinched into fists, and the class broke into murmurs. By lunch, everyone would know my dirty little secret.

And she just continued to stare at me with her tiny eyes, that smile still in place.

My stomach curled in disgust, and I fought the urge to vomit.

xXx

"Joy, are you really dieing of Purple-Condalifyitis?" Hattie asked, eyes wide as she leaned over the lunch table, a slight dot of milk on the side of her mouth. I had just walked up, and was beginning to sit down when she asked this. I stared back at her in confusion.

"What? No! I can't even pronounce it, let alone know what it is..." Murmured slowly, confused at the rumors that had started going around, whilst avoiding eye contact with the school. "You'd think everyone would have something better to do then say stupid sh-"

"Hey, guys." Said that familiar honeysweet voice, sitting down next to me, squeezing my hand under the table in that reassuring way of his. Vinny was the only other person besides my family, and the Weasley's family that knew about...well, that knew. Then again, he was my neighbor, and we were raised with each other, from sharing the same bath, eating the same food, and sleeping in the same crib.

He was the perfect guy. The one that would never be able to love me back. Because he was gay.

He swept his brown hair away from his eyes, snatched a biscuit from infront of him, and looked at Hattie quizzically.

"What are you bugging her about?"

Hattie frowned at him, her blonde eyebrows bunching up over her green eyes in annoyance."I'm not bugging her. Just asking her a question everyone wants to know the answer to."

"How about you mind your own business." Vinny snapped back, dropping his once bitten biscuit onto my plate, instead of getting his own.

"Look, she sat down infront of me-"

"Bye, Hattie." He waved, grabbing my cup. He gave her a fake smile, and she huffed, grabbing her bags and heading down to the other end of the table.

"Hey, Vinny, thanks." My voice came out small as I nudged him with my shoulder.

"What are friends for? Anyway, how do you feel? Whats up? What did the Doctor say?"

"Well, I'm constipated, smells make me incredibly nauseous, i have horrible back pain and a headache that feels as if its ripping my skull apart. But other then that, not to bad." I murmured, looking around the room slowly. I was sitting with my back to the wall, giving me full view of the other house's tables. I saw that familiar shade of ginger head at the Gryfindor table, and looked away, my eyes landing ten seats or so away from me, at my little brother Domnic. "And, they can't see 'it'. I'll have to wait until next month. Not that I want to see 'it' at all."

Vinny sighed. "Like I said before, don't blame 'it', Joy, it's not 'its' fault. Its yours."

I gave out my own sigh, turning to look down the table.

Domnic looked up, the smiling sliding off his face from the joke one of his tiny first year friends had said, and a look of anger crossing his face at the site of me.

Ever since he'd found out, he hadn't spoken a word to me. Little Domnic who clung to my legs as a toddler, slept in my bed as a small child, and bothered me at all times during the summers when I was home as boy was no longer acknowledging me. And it hurt the most of all. The rest of the family, while not jumping with happiness, had atleast acted normally, pretending nothing at all was going on.

Minus Mom.

The only thing that came from her mouth before I arrived at school was baby talk. Baby this, baby that, what are you going to name him? After your father? His father? Your uncle? Your brothers?

While it wasn't the most fun thing to go threw, it was better then these icy glances I'd been getting for the last ten minutes.

"So what does the baby daddy think of all this business?"Vinny asked slowly, looking at me threw his eyelashes, probably afraid I'd whip out the mood-swings and punch him in the gut like a week ago. Then again, he HAD told me I was eating to much. And that's just a big 'no no'.

I shrugged. "I haven't really talked to him. I'm pretty sure he doesn't believe me though. His parents pretty much ran for it when they were done talking to mine."

"Well," Vinny began slowly, "Give or take a few weeks, and there will obviously be proof."

I snorted in agreement, and leaned back in my seat, stretching my sore arms over my head. In the process my hands accidentally whacked into someone, and they quickly grabbed my wrist. I turned my head around, annoyed and begining to protest when I saw who it was.

"Oh...Its you."

The ginger haired boy frowned at me, but his pretty eyes were shining and tempting me once more. God, I was hate him.

"Can we talk?" He asked slowly, letting go of my hands. Under the table, Vinny squeezed my leg, and I nodded slowly, scared.

I quickly stood up and stepped over the bench, waiting awkwardly for a moment before I followed him out of the hall.

He stopped at the stairs, running a hand threw his hair.

"You're lying." Was the first thing he said. Something inside of me broke into tiny little pieces.

"What?"

"This is obviously a ploy to get me back. I didn't talk to you again after...after that, and you got mad. Well, its not going to work."

"Are you an idiot?" I growled slowly, taking a step back and crossing my arms over my chest. "Or just full of your self?"

He smirked at me. A hateful, malicious smirk that made me curl my toes. "I just know the score, Brantly. You're the type of girl that makes up lies to try to cling to someone, because no one will ever want them."

I shook my head softly, my thick dark brown hair brushing against my face in the process. He was watching me closely, his red hair messy, and his long legs crossed infront of him as he propped himself up against the banister.

"You'll be getting a letter in the mail, soon. From your parents. I went to the doctor today, for...a check up for the thing that isn't real. My mother wrote word to your mother. And, if your mother is anything like mine, she'll inform you." My voice came out soft, and I turned around heading back to the Great Hall, my stomach in knots. The loud noise of my shoes hitting the stone floor filled my ears.

"Hey Fred, mail!" A identical Fred said, his own hair messed up like his brother, and a stain on his shirt. He frowned at me, then continued to to his brother. "It's from Mum."

I resisted the urge to stop and wait, and just went inside, taking my seat next to Vinny quietly.

"How'd it go?" He whispered, taking my now clamy hand once again in his.

"Shitty."  
>And then I threw up all over the table.<br>Great.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I'm alive. Yep. I know. Calm down. I recently got back into fanfiction, and I figure i'll just pick up where I left off? Check out my Profile for updates on story progress and what not. Also, I'm renaming the story. Just fyi. (It was: How You Drive Me Crazy)**

**Chapter Two**

"Hows that morning sickness, Miss Brantly? Treating you kindly?" Madame Pomfrey inquired, handing me a cup of some sort of herbs mixed in with teas. To sooth my stomach, she had explained.

"Not so kindly, Madame Pomfrey." I mumbled down into my cup. Hell, if earlier wasn't a good example, then I don't know what was. After the mortification of vomiting in front of a couple hundred kids had worn off, I quickly mumbled something about a fever and ran up to hide in Madame Pomfrey's lair. Me and her had been tight since first year, when I had faked stomach illnesses just to hide from the Slytherin girls in my Potions class. She, along with the teachers, all knew about my little...situation.

"It'll get better dear. In a few months. Until then, this should help." She gestured to the herb tea, before adjusting the headdress and walking back into her office. I sighed contentedly, chugging the drink and placing the tea-cup on the side table. Pushing myself of the side of the bed, I slipped my back pack over my shoulder and placed my wand back in the waist of my skirt.  
>"Leaving already?" Madame Pomfrey asked, poking her head out of her office.<p>

"I have my Alchemy class. I don't want to be late."  
>"Well, Mister Phillips was just going their himself. Why don't you walk Miss Brantly to class." She gestured at a boy whose left arm was in a sling. He had waited in her office when I had burst in earlier, but I hadn't got a good look at him until now as he was waiting by the door. He was a little taller than me, with short, spiked brown hair and dark green eyes. A small patch of freckles laid under his eyes and his mouth was pulled into a cute, polite smile.<p>

"Sure, I can do that." He nodded. His voice was pleasant and warm. He was a nice, kind person. I could sense it.

Madame Pomfrey smiled, well she never really smiled but over the years I had taken to referring to that twitch of her lips as a smile, pulling her head back into the room and shutting the door with a flick of her wand.

The boy smiled at me, and offered me his free hand. He had long, skinny fingers, and a scar ran acrossed the back of it. "Hi. I'm Benjamin Phillips. Call me Ben."

With a nervous smile, I took his hand in mine. "I'm Joy Brantly. Call me Joy, I guess. I think I've seen you around before."  
>He gestured toward the door with his head, and we started to walk slowly. "You better have. We've been going to the same school for, like, 6 years. And, you know, we're in the same house." He gestured down to his robes. Sure enough, they had the Hufflepuff symbol on them.<p>

"7 now." I pipped in. He smiled and we continued walking. A silence fell over us, and my stomach rolled in nervous. I never knew what to say. My brain wracked for something, but in all the books I've ever read and essay's I've ever written, but none had ever discussed what to say to a teenage boy.  
>He cleared his throat after a few moments. "Sorry I have nothing to say. I'm usually the person that rehearses what i'm going to say. I even do it when I'm at restaurants. And I just can't think of anything to say."<p>

"I'm the same way. It's just hard you know? Senseless chatter."  
>Ben smiled that cute, polite smile. "I don't think anything you have to say is senseless chatter."<p>

My face flashed red, and in an attempt to change the subject, I inquired about his arm.  
>"I have 4 older sisters." He sighed. "And they are all Quidditch maniacs. We were having a good romp before I left for school, and one of them dove right into me. She knocked me right off my broom. I'm such a clumsy git."<p>

"Ouch."

"Yeah, major ouch. Don't tell anyone. But, I actually cried." He whispered, then winked. His deep green eyes sparkled excitedly. I liked this boy, I decided at that very moment. He was funny, sweet, and kind. Unlike some of the boys who were presently in my life. He even made me forget for a split second, my life at the current moment just because of that cute smile of his. Yes, lets not forget that he was incredibly attractive.

"I think it might just be a sister thing. I broke my older brothers nose once."  
>He raised a thin brown eyebrow at me. A smile tugging at the corner of his lip. He had a dimple.<br>"We we're wrestling for the remote. An elbow to his nose declared me the winner, but also declared me grounded for like, a week."  
>He smiled widely at me. Showing me his white teeth. "Your a real pip, Joy. I think I might keep you around. You know. To carry my bags and books. I am disabled, after all." He gestured to him arm that was in the sling. "Oh, here we are. I think." He tugged the door open with one arm, gesturing me me. At the desk in the front, the professor raised an eye. He was a small man, with a potbelly and long grey hair. His eyebrows were the size of caterpillars, and his mouth reminded me distinctly of a trout.<p>

Ben held up the pink slip, and with a flip of his wand, the slip was flying out of his hand toward the professor. After a second, he nodded, and Ben gestured us towards the last two free seats. He pulled my chair out, and with a gracious smile, I slid into it. After placing my bag onto the floor, I gazed around the class room. It was full, almost to the brim. And since it was an elective, it was a mixture of all the houses. And right infront of me. sitting stiffer that ever, was the boy I hated the most.

Weasley.

"So, you have a brother?" Ben whispered to me after he had struggled to pull out his Alchemy for 7th Years book. "Did you hear me?" He whispered again.  
>I jumped. Blinking at Ben slowly. "Brother?" I was too uncomfortable. To focused on my hate for the dungball infront of me to properly pay attention to him.<p>

"Yeah, you said you had a brother." He prompted again, raising that thin eyebrow.

"Oh, I have two. An older brother, Jason, and a younger brother, Dominic. Jason finished schooling last year, and Dom is a first year." And both wont really even look at me, I added in my brain. "What about you? Four older sisters. Must be pure chaos."

He sniffled a chuckle, quickly glancing up to see that the Professor was still absorbed in what was on his desk.

"Only half the time. Sara's married and lives with her husband, Clara's engaged and lives in Paris with the bloke, and Cora's away at a Muggle Theater college. Only Nora is left, and she's pretty quite. She works at a bakery in Diagon Alley most of the time, and the rest she's with her boyfriend, Jay. Though, when we were younger it was basically a circus. My mom is such a strong woman."

"Wow, I can't even imagine being the youngest of five."  
>With a shrug, he flipped a page in the book. "It's not so bad. I was the boy they'd always wanted. I was spoiled with treats and toys. That is, until Da' found out was complete rubbish when it came to sports."<p>

"I doubt you're that bad."

He smirked, his eyes darting down to his injured arm.

"Okay, I take that back bu-"

Suddenly, infront of us, Weasley cleared his throat. He turned around, narrowing his brown eyes. "Some of us are trying to learn."  
>With a snort, I leaned forward. "Learning is by far what you've come here for. You've come to ruin lives."<p>

Next to me, Ben shifted in his seat uncomfortably. But me and Weasley's eye battle continued on.

"Excuse me, what are you two doing?" The professor asked. He had stood up at his desk, peering uncomfortably at us.

"Just informing Miss Brantly what page we were on." Weasley said, before turning around.

"Oh, very well then. Back to work."

The rest of my classes flew by in the way they had in years earlier. And when the bell rang and dismissed students, we all scattered, hurrying to our dorms outside, to enjoy the last month of warmth before the cold autumn and even harsher winter.

Vinny was waiting for me at the edge of the lake, his hair a crazy mess. If I had a hundred knuts to bet, I would bet he had tugged at it during class, from stress.

"Hey, brat. How was your day?" I inquired, sitting down next to him, comfortable in my shorts and baggy shirt.

He sighed dramatically, throwing his arms around me and burying his face into my shoulder. "Why does school have to be so hard?"

"Because life is a drastic pile of dragon dung."

"That's deep, Joy." He pulled his arm away, leaning back and gazing at me. "How was your day?"

"I met someone."  
>"Ohhh?" If a person could resemble an animal, Vinny definitely resembled a cat. Sly and sneaky, as always.<br>"Yeah, his name is Ben. Now tell me what you know!"

"Only the second day and Ben is already showing balls. Only took him 6 years."

"Huh?"

"Oh come on. This boy has had the feels for you since day one!"

I blinked. "I'd never even meet him until today."

He tsked at me. "Poor boy doesn't stand a chance against my dense Joy."

I frowned, looking toward the lake. Kids were jumping of the docks and into the shimmering, warm water. Laughter filled the air around us like a drug, and I knew, that tonight, in the Room of Requirement, the 7th years would be celebrating the ruling of their new kingdom.

"Are you going? To the party tonight?" Vinny asked suddenly, my eyes flicked over to him, a brown eyebrow lifting up.

"I'm pregnant, you idiot. Does it look like I can go to a party?"

"Just asking, brat. Geez, what a way to spend your 7th year. Moody, chunky, and unable to celebrate."  
>I punched him in the shoulder. "Don't call me chunky, you jerk."<p>

He smiled at me sweetly. "I love you, brat."

"I love you too, even though you're making fun of my weight. I'm going back to the castle now. 'Its' got me craving crazy things. I wanted to eat a banana covered in pickles earlier. I wonder if I can convince a house elf to give me some. God, I feel like I'm doing an illegal drug trade." I shoved myself off the ground, dusting my bottom off before walking away.  
>"See you at dinner!"<p>

I waved a hand in acknowledgement.

I had made it five steps into the corridors past The Great Hall before running into a lovers quarrel.

Casey, a pretty, perky, snotty, Gryfindor, was fighting with Satan himself. It was a well-known and gossiped fact that Weasley and Casey had been off and on since 5th year.

Which made me feel even stupider, thinking I had won him over last year.

"Do you know what they're doing to say, Fred? They're going to say that its yours! Do you know what that'll make me sound like! An IDIOT."

"Well if the shoe fit-"  
>"What are you looking at, slut!" Casey yelled. I blinked, looking around.<br>"Huh?" I said dumbly, looking around. Then it hit me like a brick. It was directed at me. Of course it was directed at me. I was the only one in the freaking corridor.

"You heard me. Stay out of my way, you idiot." She snarled, and then stormed down the hallway, her hand gripped tight around Fred's. He didn't even bother to look at me. Just continued to walk. Well, what could I say after what had happened earlier. I didn't expect him to come to my rescue, even if I had his baby in the making.

My stomach gave a sorrowful grown.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three.**

Most of the time, I'm minding my own business when trouble finds me. That's how it had been with the infamous Weasley fiasco months earlier. Vinny had run off with his obsession of the year, leaving me sitting by myself in the library. I didn't even know why I was there, actually. It was the last day of school, and we would all be heading home the next morning, but I felt as if I needed to say good-bye to all the books and my favorite window seat. And then he slid next to me, all long legs and broad shoulders.

But that's not the point. The point is that trouble finds me.

"So, I found you, Brantly. I knew you would be hiding in here. With all your friends." A scratchy voice spat out. I recognized it from years earlier. I of course, was alone and in the library. Again. Maybe it wasn't me that attracted trouble. Maybe it was the library that did.

I cast a quick glance up from my potions essay. Marcus Flint stood before me, decked in his required attire of Slytherin robes. "Ah...what a...well it isn't really a pleasure. Do we really have to do this? Shouldn't you have graduated by now?"

"That's alot of sass coming from a Hufflepuff." He smirked, pulling the chair out infront of me before sliding into it himself. Flint looked like a rabbit, having the ears and the teeth and the large dark eyes are the traits that made me decide this about him when I set eyes upon him years earlier.

"I'm not helping you cheat, Flint." I sighed heavily, placing my quill back onto the table and crossing my arms. "I'm not even that smart. Why can't you go find a Ravenclaw. They're by far smarter."

He smirked, leaning forward. "But Hufflepuffs are to loyal and kind to give a burden to someone else. Plus, I still have that blackmail from last year ago. You don't want that to start wandering around the school, do you?"  
>With another heavy sigh, I glanced away from him.<p>

"I dislike you greatly." I muttered underneath my breath. He had won, of course. He still had a giant anvil hanging over my stupid, brunette head.

"I knew you'd come around!" His laugh was chipper, his dark, almost black, eyes shinning in excitement. "So, we'll meet here, at this time, once a week and I'll give you all the work and you can give me the finished product when you're done." He smirked, leaning forward, uncomfortably close, reaching one hand out to squeeze my cheek. "You are still my favorite nerd, Brantly. Keep at it."  
>And with that he dumped all the contents of his bags onto my table.<p>

Flint walked away with his regular smug stride, which was a Slytherin custom, I suppose, and disappeared from my sight. And with enough teenage angst to fill a stadium, I plunked my head onto the table.

"Why can't you ever say no? Why are you such a spineless-"

"Hey-yo, brat. Get called back into duty by General Buckteeth?" With a loud plonk, Vinny settled himself into chair that Flint had vacated.

"I thought he was just bluffing last year. Why didn't he graduate? Whhhhhy?" Looking up at Vinny with desperation, he just shrugged.  
>"You know, you could just fuck with the little piss ant. It won't be hard. I bet he wont even read the essays, just hand them in like the stupid little snake he is." He offered, flicking through the assignments. Vinny, while loyal, was not the kindest. I always believed that he was better suited for Ravenclaw, with his smart ideas and witty comebacks, but that wicked gleam always made me think of him as a Slytherin.<p>

"You know he knows about-"I glanced around us quickly, leaning forward and whispering the rest in a hushed voice "what Jace did. He would lose his job as an apprentice Auror! Flints dad has connections. Not the political ones either. The ones that that Potter kid is always spazing out about." during my hushed rambling, I had started to place my belongings into my bag, along with Flints work. Vinny stared at me blankly.

"Well, he should have to deal with it, not you."  
>"It would break my mother's heart, Vince. You know it would. She can't have another disappointment."<br>My voice came out harsher than necessary, and Vinnys eyes narrowed.

"You brought this on yourself, Joy. Not me. You know, for someone named 'Joy' you have a cloud above your head of the exact opposite." He snapped back, his handsome face contorting into a scrunched up mask.

I flinched. Vinny's sudden outbursts were a thing that I was never able to get used to. Not even after being around them my whole life. He unclenched his hands, opened his eyes slowly, and smiled at me sweetly, as if nothing happened.

"Why...why don't we go get you some dinner, Preggers? Gotta keep that embryo happy." He chirped happily, taking my bag from my hand and tossing it over his shoulder. He walked through the stacks of books and I followed uneasily. "Hey, cheer up, brat. Everything with that Flint kid'll work out. I'll figure a way out. I always do."

I sped up, grabbing onto his arm. "What would I do without you, Vinny?"

"Oh, just wither away into a husk of nothingness."

We glanced at each other, and burst into giggles.

A few moments later we walked into The Great Hall. It was full of laughter and loud chatter as always. Sitting down at our table, I greeted the other Hufflepuffs cheerfully, while Vinny only grunted a reply. It was well-known fact that Vinny didn't do well with the senseless chatter of our housemates. They usually kept their distances, but always greeted him like eager puppies when he was in the mood to acknowledge them in any way.

I quickly lifted two stuffed to the brim beef sandwiches onto my plate, happily munching down on my first bite. The table eyed me curiously, and I realized, that there was no way a normal girl of my small stature would be able to eat both of the giant sandwich. With a nervous smile, I pushed the other to Vinny, who took it with a confused look on his face.

Suddenly, the professor in pink whose class I had arrived late to on my first day two weeks earlier, Umbridge, entered the Hall, and the talking slowed down. It almost ceased. There were rumors going around. Nasty rumors. About her form of detention. It was almost unbelievable, if I hadn't caught a view at my fellow students hands.

I shivered, hoping I never had the chance to grace her bad side. Suddenly, Professor Mcgonagall walked up to her, her voice urgent, as she asked for her to follow her to the grand stair case. The woman walked out, their heads held high, and moments later, the students all got up, running after and into the hall. Professor Sprout tried her best to maintain order, but she too, was eager to see what was happening. Every student around us had vanished, hoping to see a bit of the action.

I took this moment to grace my self with another sandwich.

"Aren't you nervous, Joy?" Vinny said suddenly, leaning forward.  
>"Affot?" My mouth was too full of yummy goodness to say anything else.<p>

"About your stomach. you're only a little more than 14 weeks and your stomach is buldging. I can kinda see it when I look at your stomach the right way. You sprouted these last two weeks. How are you going to hide it? And what about your Doctors appointment in like, two weeks. Piss ant is going with you. How are you going to explain your absence?"

With hesitation, I chewed and swallowed my food, before reaching forward to grab my drink and deep a deep gulp.

The letter had come in the mail yesterday, explaining about how Fred and his mother would be attending my ultrasound, and about how they were going to test it to make sure it was his. His mother seemed keen on the fact that her little angel would never impregnate a girl while unwed. Ugh.

"Well...Its during a Hogsmeade trip...and I'll wear baggy cloths. Wow, you sure are the curious buggar." I murmured, losing faith in the small, stable plan I had developed yesterday. "Can we just not talk about the giant stomach? Like, can we just figure that out later? Mom's sending bigger clothes, and it'll work for a while. So just stop. You're scaring me."

"How are you going to take care of it, Joy?" Vinny whispered, leaning forward. Our table was now starting to return. Apparently the drama in the hall was over.

"Feeding it. Changing it. Making sure it doesn't smother itself to death."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."  
>I bit on my lower lip, glancing around. "Look, I gotta go. I have papers to work on." And with that, I reached over him, grabbed my bag, and walked out of the again crowded room.<p>

But I didn't want to go back to the dorm. And the library was closed for dinner. Before I really knew what I was doing, my feet led me outside.  
>The air was crisp and cooling down, and soon, autumn days would hit us like a charging bull. But it was pleasant. Autumn had always been my favorite time of year. It just seemed to fit in perfectly with the moon that was glimmering of the lake. In the distance, the giant squid made a deep, mournful cry, and its tentacle rose above the surface for a second before going back under.<p>

"What are you doing out here?" Someone snapped at me. I stiffened. Great. A teacher.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I looked down the steps for the culprit. But it wasn't a professor. It was Weasley, sitting in the grass a few feet away from the steps. He gazed at me in utter annoyance.  
>With a roll of my eyes, I plopped myself onto the stairs. "Sitting. It's not like you own the place."<p>

He grumbled something under his breath, clearly annoyed at my mere presence. Even though I knew I meant next to nothing to him, it still hurt. My heart gave a sad leap, and I felt like the mournful cry of the giant squid was meant for me.

With a dramatic sigh that reminded me much of my own, he stood up, shrugging off his sweater and tossing it up at me. I stared at him quizzically.

"It's not safe for a girl in your...ya know...to be out in the cold."

"Yeah. Like you care." I snapped back, tossing it back. "Stop messing around with me, Weasley. You can't be nice one minute and then totally cruel and mean the next. Whats wrong with you?"

He stood up, during my rant, and stomped toward me. By the end, he was right in front of me, a smirk present. "I like to help the less fortunate."

And that was the first time I'd ever actually slapped someone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four  
><strong>

"Miss Brantly, what in the world do you think you're doing out here?" A snide voice growled. I stiffened, my hand falling onto my lap. Fred stepped back, lowering himself a few steps. I pushed myself up, whipping myself up and turning around, away from the boy with the swollen cheek that had been caused by my hand.

Behind me, stood the glowering dark form of Professor Snape. His mere presence always struck fear into me. Being as I wasn't a member of his house, he gave no leniency to me and the other Hufflepuffs. It was always the most horrible, even though I was never the one getting in trouble. But it still didn't stop me from flinching or cowaring when he ripped into a Gryfindor or a fellow Hufflepuff.

"I uh." I stammered, my hands nervously clutching at the hem of my skirt. My heart sputtered in my chest. My palms felt sweaty and toes curled without me controlling them.

"Miss Brantly, do you know that it is against school rules to wander out on the grounds after dark?" He sneered.

"Well I-"

"And that it is cause for detention."

"Well-"

"And that you, Miss Brantly, have already strayed off the set path, even before you started school this year." His eyes flicked to my stomach, and up to myself. It was so quick, that I wondered if it ever actually happened.

"Hey, leave her alone! She was just telling me to come back in." Pipped a voice from behind me. Snape's eyes darkened, and he reached a long, robe covered arm and pushed me to the side. His sneer widened when he saw no other than Fred Weasley. He looked cool and collected, his sweater back on and his hands tucked into his pants pockets.

"Mr Weasley, I am sure that you are aware of the rules, seeing as I've warned you year after year. Are is there no brain left in that god awful ginger head of yours. And I will not tolerate be yelled at by a blubbering idiot. 10 points from Gryfindor. Now get inside. I will be writing your mother." He sneered, lifting a cloaked arm up and pointing towards the giant doors.  
>With a dirty look towards Snape, Fred stormed in, shoulders back and head held high. I snatched up my bag and followed him with my tail between my legs.<br>The door closed behind me in a loud slam, and I took a moment to ponder why Snape hadn't followed us back in.  
>But the thought vanished from my head in an instant when Fred turned around to face me. He was cradling his still red, and probably raw feeling, face.<p>

"You back a hell of a smack, Brantly." He smirked, and his hand fell and he slid it back into his pocket. God, he was so attractive. Wiry muscles and gorgeous ginger hair.

"You didn't take the time to learn about me before the bet, but if you did, you would realize that my older brother was Jace Brantly, and has a thick skull and it takes a hell of a whollap to get through it." I swung my bag over my shoulder with my left hand, my right hand playing nervously with the hem of my skirt.

"Look, Joy, I'm-"

Suddenly, a mass of students came streaming out of The Great Hall. Dinner was probably over and everyone was going back to their dorms.  
>"Look, I gotta go. I'll see you at the...you know. Appointment in two weeks. Bye." And with that, I merged into the crowd, only taking a second to look over my shoulder. He was still standing in the same spot next to the doors, staring intently at the massive crowd of students.<p>

xXx

_**Dear Jace,**_

_**After receiving your mail about me partying all 7th year, I'll have to respectfully decline.  
>Not because of the little critter growing inside me, but because I am a sloppy drunk. And don't worry about boys. The lack of allure that I have pretty much shot that little pony in the mouth.<br>In other various news, Dom still wont talk to me, and you may have breathed the same air as dinosaurs from like thousands of years ago and if you don't thing thats the coolest thing I've ever said, then you need to reevaluate your life choices.  
><strong>_

_**Also, how is being an apprentice? Treating you well? What about Kathrine? Still sweet as a pickle?**_

_**Lovingly waiting a reply, **_

_**Josephine Brantly **_

_**Dear Joy**_**_,_**

_**As in response to your allure, you make have noticed that that's a racing horse, and while I have examples such as all my friends having crushes on you during school, the best example is the 'little critter' you are harvesting. **_  
><em><strong>And while Dom being a little shit isn't news to me, the dinosaur fact is. That was very informative, thank you.<br>**_

_**Apprenticing is great. The girl I was assigned has a very interesting talent where she can morph her face into anything, without a wand! She also has an interesting choice in hair color. **_

_**Also, as I've said before, pickles are sour, and Kathy is a funnel cake in comparison. **_

_**Dad says he loves you. Mom says she loves you more. **_

_**See you Saturday (that's going to be an interesting get together. I wonder if they'll let all of us into the room?)**_

_**Love, **_

_**Jason Brantly. **_

_**xXx**_

The hospital was quite and calm, nothing like the TV shows I had spend all summer watching with Jace. And by 'TV', I meant crouched in the invisible spot between my bed and wall, with the Ipad tucked between us with a shared set of headphones.

We were waiting in the uncomfortable plastic chairs, me nudged between Mom and Dad, and Jace flirting with Kathy on his phone, giggling like a school girl with a big 'ole crush on a boy in a band. The pregnant middle aged mother with her husband smiled over at us cheerfully.

The Burges Ward, the one we were currently in, was decorated in baby and child themed things, from the cartoons in the wizard cartoons little wizard and witches had watched growing up, to the polka dot wall paint. There was even a set of cute little kid toys, floating or wandering aimlessly, waiting for a child to come along and give them purpose. All the nurses and doctors had happy smiles and cute, childish themed robes.

Suddenly, in a cloud of noise, a large woman with a mop of mousy red hair burst through the door, her husband in tow and none other than Weasley himself sauntering behind them. My mother stood up straight, smoothing out her pencil skirt, and my father followed her lead, less confident and more unsure what to do. Mom gave them a tight smile, offering her hand to the large woman.  
>"Hello, Mrs Weasley. It's a pleasure to see you!" This is one of the instances where her face says yes, but her voice says no. Mrs. Weasley. with her own tight smile, shook my parents hand.<p>

My father and Mr Weasley started an uncomfortable conversation, Mr. Weasley asking my father questions about teaching at muggle schools and growing up as a muggle. My father, in return, asked his own, curious, uncomfortable questions.

"Yes, very great. Now let's get this show on the road, dear, Arthur has to be back at the Ministry in about and hour. " Mrs. Weasley said, smiling politely, after shaking both my parents hands. My mom gave a quick nod, and walked toward the desk. She talked to an over friendly nurse, who nodded and ran off to get the doctor. It left me, Fred, Jace and Mrs Weasley who I had the distinct feeling hated me, staring at our feet awkwardly.

My Dad, always one to be amazed by the wizarding world, had wandered off farther, gazing at the kid toys with Mr Weasley. Finding out my mother was a witch after they were married had been like a giant episode of Bewitched for him, or so he says.

Suddenly, a doctor decked in a big, tye-dye cloak came to us. His smile was wide and huge. He was of average height,

"Now, hello beautiful fellows, I was told we will be looking at a baby today. Which one of you is it. Is it you sir? Haha, just kidding!" His smile widened, and Jace stepped back in confusion. Staring at his stomach in utter shook. I could almost read his mind. He was obsessing over well he had a beer belly going on.

I raised my hand weakly. The doctors smile stayed fixed on his face. "Alright, Mommy, lets go and check out your baby. Is Daddy here too?" The room got uncomfortably silent.

My mother cleared her throat. "Well, the thing is, they want to be sure that he is-"

Fred stepped forward. "Here." He held up his head high. "We don't need the test anymore. I've always known that it's mine."

Our parents exchanged uncomfortable glances.  
>The Doctor, now confused, reached up and adjusted his spectacles. "Oh, alright, well, Mommy and Daddy, why don't you come this way?"<p>

When he all walked followed, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Surely you're not all coming?"

Mom stood up straighter, opening her mouth but she was cut off.

" Excuse you sir, but there will be nothing keeping me from seeing the first glimpse of my grandchild these stupid, idiotic teenagers made." Mrs Weasley said, fiercely. The doctor blinked. Confused. Again.

"I only meant that it was going to be crowded, but if you insist."

We entered a small, now very crowded room, with bright orange walls and a small cot in the center. He instructed me to lay on it, and I did.  
>"Okay, now, Mommy, I need you to pull your shirt up." He pulled out a small potion from the bed side, after tugging a pair of latex gloves onto his hand.<br>"I have to _what._" I shoved myself up onto my elbows.

"Oh dear, only to your ribs." He placed a hand on my head and pushed me back down onto the shabby looking pillow.

I nervously pushed my baggy jacket up, and my mother gasped. Hidden under the jacket, was a giant bulge. My stomach continued to grow at an alarming rate.

"Oh Josephine! Why didn't tell me you were large now!" Mom cooed, clutching at my father's arm.

"Yes. Everyone just stare at my stomach. This is perfectly normal."  
>The doctor smiled, patting me reassuringly on the arm. "Alright, dear, now I'm going to place this on your stomach, like last time, and we're going to be able to actually see the baby!"<p>

Before I could say anything, he dumped the bottle on my stomach, and I hissed out in protest. He placed his want to my stomach, and the projection of my womb appeared before us. There, obviously was a child forming in there, and it looked much less like a bean.

"Now, would you like to know the gen-"  
>"No." I protested, knowing what he was asking. "I already know it's a boy. Mommy senses."<p>

The doctor smirked, nodding his head. And suddenly, his eyebrows scrunched. "Josephine, dear, would you flip over onto your side for me?" He said urgently, helping me reposition myself onto my side. My eyes widened in confusion, fear running through my blood as I looked back around the room at the also confused faces. Fred took a step forward, placing his hand onto the pillow behind my head. Almost close enough to touch me, but even his distance was comforting.

"Whats wrong, Doctor?" My voice came out rough, and all I wanted to do was have my Mom hold my hand and reassure me.  
>He gave me a quick smile,and pushed my arm. "Place your hand under your head, Josephine, and nothings wrong. Just procedure."<p>

I did as he said, casting quick, nervous glances at Fred. He stared intensely at the projection of the baby.

The doctor ran his want over the side of my stomach, and smiled. "Did your Mommy senses tell you that you were having twins?"

My mother gave a shocked squeak.

And I almost fainted.


	6. Chapter 6

How do I say this eloquently? It was like a mustang racing down the wet, country road in the middle of the night at 80 MPH. Music blaring, cheeseburger in one hand, steering wheel held haphazardly in the other. Suddenly, a stamped of deer appeared, right before the car. What else do you do? You swerve off the road into a giant ocean of man-eating piranhas.

My mother swayed unsteadily on her feet, and my father's hand tightened visibly on her shoulder. The terror in me doubled, and I held back the bile that was moving quickly up my throat. Fred stiffened noticeably next to me.

"It's a known fact that the mother caries the genes for twins. " Dad finally broke the silence. His tone blank. As if he was just stating something.

I placed a hand on my stomach. Two of them. I could barely wrap my head around one. No, this wasn't fair. I was only doing what felt...right, and now, now I'm royally fucked.

The doctor, no longer paying attention, was pulling his gloves off, before picking up my clipboard and scribbling something down. "Well, Joy, I know that you're still in schooling, and at this point in the pregnancy, I recommend just continuing. You're still a while off, and even in the later months, I believe that you'll be fine. Modern Wizard Medicine is a beautiful gift." He smiled at me, holding out the clipboard. "Just sign here, and then me and your parents will go to the desk and talk about my bill."

I took it carefully, trying to not let anyone notice the shaking of my hands. I wanted to seem strong. I wanted to them to think about them as me an adult. Not a week kid who made the worst mistake of her life.

My mother nodded. "Me and you're father will be right back." She said, and then grabbed my father's hand, as if to lead him out.  
>Mrs. Weasley stepped in their way. "We'll come with you. We may not have much, but do not expect us to be leeches." With her head held high, she shoved past my mother coolly, and her husband followed, mumbling quick apologizes. My parents, bewildered, followed. Jace, wanting to watch the chaos, followed. Leaving me in my personal hell.<p>

"Could you possibly, uhm, hand me a paper towel. I don't really want to have to lay here all day with goo on my stomach. It's not as nice feeling as it looks." The voice that came out of my throat was not my own. It was shaking and scared. It was the voice from that one night so many months ago, when everything had started.

He looked over, his expression shocked, as if surprised I was even in there with him. He glanced around the room quickly, seeing the scratchy paper towels a step away. He leaned forward, grabbed a handful of the coarse material, and turned back to me. His gaze rested on my large bulge of a stomach. I put my hand out, but his gaze was fixed onto the bump with the goo. Very slowly he held out the paper towels, slowly wiping off the residue. And even more slowly, as if his other hand was being dragged down with self-control, he lingered over my stomach, hesitating. And then placed one large hand onto it. It was warm and soft and sent a shock through my entire body.

I couldn't do anything other than stare at him with wide eyes.

"It's not as soft as it looks." He murmured. "How are there two?" His voice was barely hearable. His eyebrows were pulled together in confusion, and it was again like he was the only person in this room.

I cleared my throat. "Haven't you ever seen a pregnant belly before?" It still came out as a hoarse whisper.  
>His eyes flicked back over to me, and he pulled his hand away, tossing the paper towel into the trash. "Of course I have. I have two younger siblings. Its just...I'm a twin. And...they're twins. How can they both fit in there? You're way to small."<br>Pushing my self up slowly, I adjusted my shirt before sliding back down onto the floor. It had been a while since we had been so close. I had somehow managed to forget how much taller he was than me. He towered over me, leaving me feeling so small and helpless.

With a sudden loud grumble, my stomach protested loudly. It was way past time for lunch and the two little ones inside knew, and obviously didn't like it.

With a swift movement, Fred reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a velvet bag. I recognized the logo on it instantly, and took no more than a second to snatch it out of his hang.

"I love these!" With a happy smile, the bag was open in seconds, and the contents were being poured into my hand. I dropped the bag onto the cot, and poked through the contents of the beans with my fingers. "Aha!" I cried out, pulling a deep maroon one out. I popped it into my mouth and closed my eyes, moaning in pure food related ecstasy. "Beets is definitely my favorite."

He raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth pulling up. "Thats disgusting. Normal people go for chocolate."

"I'm not normal."

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and in came my mother.  
>"Of course! Molly, you must come over soon for tea!" My mother cried out happily. Her arm was laced around Mrs. Weasley. They were both laughing wildly.<p>

"I would love to, dear! How does Tuesday sound? Oh and wouldn't it be grand if we brought our families together? For the holidays?" Mrs Weasley was more chipper than I'd ever seen her.

My mother frowned. "Actually, Molly, Me and my husband are leaving this Christmas. To Mexico, to visit my grandmother. It might be her last Christmas you see. We usually take the children, but Jace is so old now, and is on his own, and Dom says he wants to continue on at school. But that brings up Joy. She'll already be 8 months into her pregnancy. It's absolutely absurd to think about taking her with us...maybe we'll just stay with her, and maybe we ca-"

"nonsense!" Mrs. Weasley cut her off with a wave of her hand. "She can stay with us. She is family now. Go on with your trip!"

My mothers face broke into the biggest smile i'd ever seen.  
>xXx<p>

"Joy?" Fred said suddenly, as we were walking up to the school. It was still nice and warm outside, so the trudge from town to the castle wasn't so bad.

"Yeah?"  
>He cleared his voice. "I know this isn't right for me to ask...but can you...not tell anyone?"<p>

I almost dropped the new bag of Bert's every flavored beans onto the ground. For some reason, it stung. Why did I think that moment we had in the hospital, or when we had talked normally at lunch not so long ago, that anything had changed? Of course not. He was still selfish, and I was still to cowardly to tell him no.

"Wow..." I whispered. "Sure. Whatever. As far as anyone's concerned, it might as well be a blessings from the gods. You can keep your clean name. Along with the self-denial that some girl you knocked up is 5 months pregnant and you still refuse to admit it." And with that, I walked faster, not even bothering to look back or even acknowledge that he had called out for me. Even when I left him far behind me, the sickness in my stomach didn't fade away.

The funny thing is, that for a few moments, I believed we were taking a step forward, and he had somehow managed to run 100 meters back. I didn't expect us to get married and be madly in love, sure. But I expected to be his friend, maybe. To not have to do this alone.

But I was wrong. And here I am. In the middle of a deserted road on my way back to a school that was going to ridicule me for something that wasn't completely my fault.

I never hated myself more.


	7. Chapter 7

" Now, Miss Brantly, can you inform me what page 784 says? " Professor Umbridge called out on Monday during our lesson. If you could even all them that. They were more like mandatory reading sessions. We had never done anything more than read page after page in this stupid 'Fundamentals of Dark Arts Protection' book. Of course, my last year would be the year that the best class I have ever taken gets the worst teacher that I have ever had.

I looked up, my eyes flashing quickly back down to the book, before back up to her. I hadn't been paying attention. I had dozed off with my hand propped against my face to be startled awake by this pink dressed demon leaning her face incredibly close to mine. I hadn't even turned past page one. Which was also, might I add, just the index.

"Uhm, I-" I wasn't even able to choke out an excuse before her smile widened and she cleared her throat and stood up straighter.

"Now Miss Brantly, why don't you stand up." She took a few steps back, and smiled at me, cocking her head to the side.  
>I cast a quick glance at Ben who was to my left, and 3 people infront of me, on the other side of the row, Weasley had tensed up in his seat, turning around to watch whatever would happen next.<p>

"Professor I-"

She cut me off again with her little, bone grinding giggle.

"Now, Miss Brantly, I know girls like you in your...condition, well, they need all the rest they can get. But I'm sure girls like you...well, lets use an American term, they 'lay on their backs' quite alot-"

"Proffesor Umbridge, that is quite inappropriate to be saying to a student!" There was a loud scrapping of a chair and suddenly, Ben was standing, his uninjured hand reaching for mine. He gave it a quick steady squeeze before letting it go.  
>Her eyes flashed to Ben's. "Mr. Phillips, I have heard good things about your family, and I wouldn't have expected for you to be part of Miss Brantly's...chaos."<p>

Ben's eyes turned to steel. "I don't know what you think Joy has done, but whatever it is, it doesn't deserve such public cruelty."

She cleared her throat in that quick, loud, slight giggle.

"Mr. Phillips, why don't you and Miss Brantly join me after classes today. In detention. And then we can discuss how your actions effect others. No matter if its talking back or...laying down."

Suddenly. a protest of my innocence spilled out. My hand flew to my mouth, regretting what I had done. She giggled down at me. "How about you come for two days, Miss Brantly. You really need a talking too. Now sit, Mr. Phillips before its two for you too."

Ben slide back into his seat, his eyes intense and narrowed infront of him, staring straight into the back of Pasil Parklie's head.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled, "if I had known that you would get in trouble too, I wouldn't have said a thing."

I shook my head, my hair falling over my shoulder gently. "No," I whispered back, "she would have given me a detention anyway."

Ben shook his head, looking back down at his book, pretending to read even though I could see his hand clench and unclench every so often. My stomach was fluttering. It was so sweet how he had stood up for me. It was refreshing.

I glanced over, feeling a gaze on me. Weasley was staring at me. When he noticed my gaze, he raised an eyebrow. Ignoring him, I looked down at my book, finally flipping to the proper page. My free hand fell idly onto my lap, and as soon as it touched my skirt, I felt the familiar warm hand grab my own. With a startled glance at Ben, I saw his face aflame in red, a small smile playing on his lips.

xXx

Walking into her office, I guess neither of us knew what to expect. It was pink. Incredibly pink, with porcelain plates lining the walls with playing kittens skittering around, curiously gaping at the new comers. She sat at her desk, that was covered in a white lace doily, her chubby cheeks flushed with excitement. "Ah! Right on time!" She pushed herself out of her chair, wobbling over to us and pushing us into the direction of two chairs, separated by a large gap. At the desks the chairs were out, were pieces of blank parchment and two quills. Their was no ink anywhere. We took our seats slowly, unsure. "I figure, dears, that it would do you good to write something. Maybe to have it...sink in." She giggled. With a flick of her wand, black ink appeared acrossed our pages. Ben had a full sentence. I however, had only one word.

I bit my lip and clenched my fist at the sight of it.  
>"With what ink?" Ben asked quietly. She giggled behind us.<p>

"No need to worry about ink, Mr. Phillips. You have all you need."

Blinking down at my word, I picked up my quill. "How many times?" I asked as quietly as my voice could muster. I was trying not to show her how much this injured me. But it wasn't working.  
>"Until it...sinks in." She let out a bark of a laugh, then sat back down at her desk.<br>Slowly, I took the quill, placing it to the parchment. I wrote down the word, glaring down as no words appeared. I pressed harder, wincing at a sudden crap in my hand. The ink was a sort of crimson red. Dark and ominous looking. My hand still aching glimmered in the light, and I glanced down at it, finally paying attention.

_'Floozy'_ it said, carved into my skin. My blood was the ink.

xXx

Walking out of their, my pride gone and my tail between my legs, I was silent. This was horrible. Monstrous. Why were the teachers letting her do this?

Ben caught up with me quickly. "Joy, how are you. Hows your hand?" His concern was obvious in his eyes as he reached for my hand. But I pulled back, not wanting him to see my crime. His own hand, bright red from irritation from that damn quill, said quite boldly '_I will learn respect'._

"Please don't look at it. You're the only person who still likes me...and I don't want you to hate me after seeing it."  
>He rolled his eyes. "What about Vinny?"<p>

"He doesn't count."

Ben grabbed my non-injured hand in his injured one, running his thumb over my smooth, unblemished skin. "I know what everyone is saying about you, Joy. I just don't care. I've liked you since our first year, and I'll still like you now. No matter what."

"Really?" I whispered.

"Really." And in that moment, he bent down, his lips brushing my own. He pulled away quickly, his face flushed, to a voice clearing behind me.

We looked over, seeing no one other than Mr. Fredrick Weasley. He was watching our little soap opera scene, face blank.

"I came to come pick you up, but it looks like that's already what Benjy here is trying to do."


	8. Chapter 8

_He kissed me fervently, his hands moving up the bottom of my shirt as if his entire existence depended on it. And if his didn't, then mine sure as hell did. No one had ever made me feel this way before, as he leaned forward, kissing my neck deep with impatient kisses. While doing this, his fingers, quick and experienced, undid the buttons on my uniform shirt. A throaty growl escaped his throat as he pulled it back, his beautiful eyes flicking their gaze back to my face, which was flushed from both nerves and excitement.  
>I lifted my hand up slowly, shaking impossibly fast as I cupped his cheek. The expression in his eyes shifted as he reached his had up, cupping my own hand on his cheek. He turned his face as if to nuzzle my hand, but instead giving it a soft kiss. <em>

_ "Is this your first time?" He whispered, his voice smooth and sweet, and I could barley see his eyes through those thick, beautiful eyelashes. I nodded my head slowly, hesitating. _

"Oh yeah? Whys that?" Ben cleared his throat, he took a few uneasy steps back, shifting his backpack on his shoulder

"She has something that's mine." Fred said simply. My eyes darting to him quickly, the meaning of what he said sinking in. "And we need to talk about it. Alone."

A long, awkward silence filled the air, stiff and strong as I clenched my fist, my brain struggling for thoughts.

Ben was the one that broke it. But definitely not in the way I wanted him to.

"Actually, I have to run." Ben smiled down at me nervously, taking a another quick step back. His face was flushed, which i'm sure mine was too. "I promised Chance I would meet him before dinner, to study for that Charms test." He gave me a sheepish shrug.

"Oh, that's fine." I said, squeezing his hand quickly. "See you later?"

He nodded, a large smile breaking acrossed his face. "See ya later, Bently!" And then he took off down the hall, a cute skip to his step. As I watched him retreat, I felt my stomach seize up. I didn't want to be left alone. Not with him.

After a moment, he cleared his throat. "What did she make you write, Josephine?"

I glanced over my shoulder at him, and he was taking long strides towards me. He was standing less then an inch behind me, and he reached gently for my sore hand. He lifted it slowly, spreading his fingers and causing me in turn, to spread my own. His own breath came out in a hiss.

"Really?" He growled, and he dropped it like his own hand was on fire. "This is disgusting. How could she. What a bi-"

"SHH." I hissed, turning around and covering his mouth with my hand. "If she hears you...she'll punish us both. Please just stop."

With dark eyes, he shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. "Lets go." He barked out finally, taking my bags from me.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Why should I go anywhere with you?"  
>"I have something to help you heal that hand of yours." He stated simply, walking down the hallway, my pink bag thrown over his shoulder. Knowing I wouldn't get it back unless I followed him, I trailed behind slowly, contemplating doing a quick knock-out charm and wobbling for the hills. It had been only a month since the doctors appointment, and my stomach had started to sprout even more so. Six months along and it already looked as if I was growing a Pumpkin on my lower abdomen. Baggy shirts weren't going to be enough in a few weeks at the rate these two critters were growing.<p>

Critters. I had moved from calling them 'things' to critter. It was a small step forward, but atleast it was a step to acceptance. Ever since the confrontation on the way back from the appointment a month ago, Weasley hadn't even said a word to me until now, only a few glances now and then, but mostly just ignoring my existence. His little brother, on the other hand, obviously knew, and had come up quite a few times to carry my bags or books to class, stuttering as he did so, his face matching the color of his hair.

They reached the Gryfindor common room while she was lost in her daze, and he went inside, ordering her to sit acrossed the hall as he took her kidnapped backpack to collect whatever he was going to get. It was forbidden for students to enter dorms that were not their own, so with an annoyed sigh, I slid to the ground, know that it would be a pain in the ass to stand back up.

So I sat there, messing with a lock of chocolate colored hair and ignoring the curious stares I was getting probably for five minutes before the familiar looking red head bounded out of the dormitory, a box in his hand. Sinking to the floor infront of me, he grabbed my injured hand tenderly before popping the box open and pulling out a gel like substance.

"Made this up after my last detention. Works like a charm." And then he smiled up at me, that cocky, sweet smile that almost made me forget that I was infurated by his inability to help me. Not right now of course, but in general. It was horrible, waking up everyday with the nonstop feeling that I was alone in what I was going through. I know i'm not the only person to go through this, but still, I felt as if I was.

"You've had detention with Umbridge?" I asked, but really, him being him, it was obvious that he had.

He reached his long hand up, the smile falling from his face. On his hand glimmered a new, shiny scar, declaring boldly 'I will speak when spoken to'. "Georgie has a matching one."

That didn't surprise me either. While George Weasley was the quieter, calmer one, he was always involved in his twins trouble making abilities.

I nodded slowly, my eyes meeting his slowly. I was again struck by the reminder of how beautiful they were, light brown and shining at me behind a thick forest of eyelashes. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I groaned. "Could you stop doing that."

He froze, his hand pausing as he stopped rubbing the gel into my sore hand. "Am I hurting you?"

"No not that, you twit, the eyebrow thing."  
>He raised them again, confused.<p>

"That!" I laughed. "You keep doing that!"

"What?" He faked innocence, before raising his eyebrows quickly."This?" His own lips were pulled into a grin, revealing a stock of pearly white teeth.

Unable to help herself, she burst into a fit off giggles. "You look like...Jack...Jack What-ever-his-last-name-is from The Shinning."I shook my head in amusement at his confused look. "Ah, that's right. Sometimes I forget that people raised in wizard families don't really watch movies."

He paused again, staring at my face with incredible concentration, his hand, done working the gel into my hand, but still holding it lightly. His free hand was laying on the skin of my knee, rubbing it in circular motions slowly. For a moment, I was hypnotized. Not like a man with a snake, but like someone mesmerized by the look of the sunset. Or maybe even a thirty man enchanted by the look of a nice cold glass of water, the cup dripping with moist driplets.

"You have beautiful eyes." He murmured, his hand now gripping my knees. I froze, anger coursing through me. Eyes narrowed, I brushed his hand off me, struggling to stand up through the mass of my stomach and the dull ache in my back it was causing.

"Shut up?" I hissed, snatching my backpack from where he had laid it on the ground. "Just shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"You...have no right." I was starting to storm away now, and I could hear his shuffling as he shoved himself up.

"What do you mean? You're literally carrying something that is half of me!" he grabbed me by the arm now, yanking me towards him with a sharp tug, and no matter how hard I pulled my arm, I couldn't get it away from him.

"That," I began, sputtering, "is utter bullshit. I want nothing to do with you. _We _ want nothing to do with you. It was a bet anyway, wasn't it?" Something flashed in his face, and his hand released me, his mouth opening to defend himself, but I cut him off before he could say anything. "Oh don't even. You're a coward. You will never admit that they are yours, so don't worry, i'll take that responsibility from you."

And then I stormed off, my face red, my hands shaking. I didn't hear any footsteps as I stormed down the stairs, praying they wouldn't move on me. I wasn't in the mood to end up anywhere besides my nice little bed in the room by the kitchens. Snarling at a few first years, I stormed into the commons, dodging Vinny and making my way up the steps to the girls dorms, where no one could possibly follow me.

And that's when I collapsed onto my bed in the empty room, tears falling from my face as I stared up at the blurry outlines of the canopy above my bed.

I was a complete idiot. There was no one stupider than I.

Fred was on my mind, circling aimlessly and pecking at my brains like a vulture. And what was I going to tell everyone when the truth finally came out? I couldn't hide it much longer. I was tired of dressing in the dark safety of my canopy, or waiting until the room was empty and changing faster that The Flash. It was extremly tiring. And what about Ben? What would I say to him.  
>'Sorry, but i'm a floozy who's knocked up and I can't tell you who the dad is because he's an asshole please don't hate me? Oh, and its twins.'<p>

Yeah that would float over well, that was for certain.

The stress was eating at me, wiggling into my very core.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: _I would like to apologize in advance if I accidentally switch to third person, and I don't fix it. I've started writing in third person for a few of my original stories, and a fanfic of mine, so the switch back to first is sort of awkward for me._**

**Chapter Eight**

I woke up the next morning wearing exactly what I had been wearing the day before, a small amount of blood crusted on my hand from where the wound had reopened. It was sore again, slightly red around the edges, and stung again when I flexed my fingers. My face was swollen from crying, and my clothing scrunched and wrinkly.

The silence of the dorm revealed that I was by myself, so I continued laying bed, my eyes staring at the canopy, refusing to let my mind wander to any other thought than the texture of the velvet above my head. The clock to my right chimed that it was now 7, and that breakfast was halfway over, so with a heavy heart, I shimmed to the edge of the bed, pulling my socks and shoes off, and wiggling out of my undergarments.

With a wave of my wand, and a few muttered accios, I was soon dressed, slipping my swollen feet back into the baby blue vans, which were the only shoes that still fit me. After tugging the large sweater over my head, I sighed down at my stomach. The bulge was obvious, but only to those who knew what to look for.

And then, I picked my bag off the floor and swinging it over my shoulder, contemplating the severity of trouble I would be in for not getting my Charms essay done in time. But, then again, that tiny man yelling at me would really be the least of my problems. Plus, all the professors knew about my condition, so it wasn't like he was going to scream at me to much. But Flint, he didn't, and I still needed to finish the paper for his Potions class before tomorrow. I would be up all night working just to get the full 8 inches.

Walking past the last few remaining stragglers, I walked down the steps of the great hall, my stomach gave another groan of hunger, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the familiar shaggy maine of dark chocolate hair, surrounded by taller, green covered students.

Dominic was being shoved against the marble railing of the stairs, his books scattered across the ground infront of him.  
>Anger welled inside of me, and despite the fact that he hadn't talked to me in weeks, I tossed my own bag onto the ground, stopping up the tiny first years, grabbing a honey blonde haired boy by the back of his robes. He didn't expect anyone to grab him from behind, so he let out a feminine squeak, stumbling backwards. Even as a first year, he was towering over me, but his face was one of terror.<p>

I didn't dare look at my younger brother yet as I pulled my wand from my waist band, pointing it at the blondes chest. "Look, kid, I am a 7th year. I am incredibly experienced. I have been hear for 6 years, you, have only been here about 3 months. Don't mess with me."

Hissing something under their breaths, they gathered their things, retreating into the Great Hall.

"Slytherins never change. Bloody cowards." I sighed, turning around to my tiny brother. Hell, he wasn't very tiny now. He must have hit his growth spurth in the months he was ignoring me. His face was still round and chubby, but their was a definite sign that all that was going to go away very soon. Us Brantly's always slammed into the puberty finish line early. He was kneeling o the floor, gathering his things quickly, his face red.

"You didn't need to do that. I was dealing with them."

I snorted, doing my best attempt at crouching down and grabbing the loose leafs of paper around him. "Yeah, it looked like i-"

He reached a hand out, ripping the papers from me. "I don't need _your _help. You...you idiot. Pregnant and lecturing me? What a fool!" He snarled, shoving his things into his bag and storming into the Great Hall, his shoulders tossed back.  
>I wasn't hungry anymore.<br>I slowly struggled to stand up, walking slowly back to my bag and pulling it onto my shoulder, wishing Vinny was there to talk to. But Vinny was a one track pony, and had a new man in his sights, so he wasn't very reliable at the current moment. Hell, I probably wouldn't be able to find him even if I wanted to. He would loose interest, and show up again in a few days, or maybe even a week, but until then, I was on my own. Hogwarts was a large place, a place that was incredibly hard to deal with by yourself.

I mean, it could be worse. Atleast I wasn't a teenager pregnant with twins, whose best friend was off canoodling with others, whose brother wasn't talking to her, and who was dealing with a guy who knew an incredibly horrible secret about her brother.

Oh wait, that was me.

What a life.

There was still fifty minutes left before class, so I wandered to the Library, sliding into a window seat and pulling the parchment with Flints name scribbled acrossed the top, tapping my quill as I scrambled for thoughts.

But they kept going back to my doctors appointment in a week. And Dom. And Ben, and most of all, that stupid ginger with that beautiful smile who had been rumored to be dating Casey the Gryffindor again even though he was telling me I was pretty less than 24 hours before. But it wasn't like I cared. At all.

Okay I did.  
>But only a little.<p>

I only managed to scribble down a sentence before shoving it into my bag and darting off to my first class of the day.

**xXx**

**Dear Jace, **

**I feel so stressed. I feel as if water is filling my lungs and that my heart is aching and I feel as if I can't do this without someone by my side much longer. And no, I don't mean a boyfriend. I mean a friend. Its just...so hard.**

** Love, Josephine Brantly**

**Dear Joy, **

**Its the hormones. You'll be fine. Can't really talk now. And I can't make it next week, I have plans with Kathy. **

**Sincerly, Jason Brantly. **

**xXx**

Coming out of my second day of detention, my hand now deeply aching, I saw that familiar red haired boy, leaning against the wall, his twin right next to him. They were talking, scribbling things down quickly on a piece of scratch paper, intent.

Were they here for me? Or was their being here a coincidence?

It wasn't a coincidence. Within seconds the twins were on both sides of me, identical in looks and in stature, except Georges eyes were plain brown, and Fred's had flecks of gold around the pupil. Not many people knew that, but then again, not many people fell in love with the those eyes like I had, seven months ago.

It was George who spoke first as we turned the corner. "Two days in a row? That must hurt a bloody lot."

Uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the two almost identical gaze, I tucked my sore, slightly bloody hand under my other arm, crossing them over my chest quickly. "It'll heal."

George, peeking over my head, cast a fleeting look at his brother, before shrugging quickly. His hand was clutching the paper and quill tightly, the shimmering, healed wound on his hand shimmering slightly in the pale flicker of the corridor light. The portraits were already starting to settle down, going home to their own individual paintings as the students sat and ate dinner.

"What do you guys want?' My voice came out softly, almost a whisper against the tapestry's and the stone floor. I turned right at the statue of the dancing lady, heading towards the Hufflepuff commons,

"Aren't you going to dinner?" It was Fred this time, gripping me and stopping me at the stairwell down to the Great Hall. George, taking a step back, reached his hand up, scratching his neck uncomfortably. "You really need to eat."

"I told you yesterday to butt out." I spat, adjusting the bag on my shoulder. "Go worry about Casey, or something. I'm not hungry." And tugged my arm out of his grasp. "I'm getting really tired of you touching me without asking. And you don't need to have your brother tag along so that I wont freak out on you, because it's not going to work."

Fred's eyes shot up to his brother, who nodded, waved goodbye to me uncomfortably, and then proceeded down the stairwell.

"Why are you acting like this?" Fred whispered, looking down at me softly, as if I was the hurting him, and not the other way around. As If I was the one doing all the damage. As if I was a grenade, whose pin had been pulled. 'And he wasn't 'tagging along'. I've been waiting for you for a long time. and George was helping me get some work done."

"I'm not acting any way." I hissed, and then started to storm faster towards my house's commons. He followed behind just as quickly.

"Yes. Yes you are. What happened to sweet Joy who smiled at me acrossed the room last year? Or the girl who likes beet flavored jelly beans?" He was talking louder now. Faster, his voice harsh and his eyebrows pulled down in anger or annoyance. As if he had any right to even be a little bit angry.

And then I stopped, looking down at the ground infront of me, my hair falling in a mess of waves around my face and my sock bunched up uncomfortably in my shoe.

"I don't know. But she's not here anymore. You took that away from me."

He growled, grabbing at my hand, tugging at it. "You can't blame all your problems on me."

I swung to face him, grabbing my bag from my shoulder with my hurt hand in the process, swinging it at his broad chest, tears pooling at my eyes. He didn't attempt to block himself, but simply release my hand. "YES I CAN. I WAS HAPPY. I-I-IF YOU..." I gasped, choking on my sobs, my arm falling weakly at my side. "If you...hadn't thought that I was a game to play...we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Whipping around, I left him, hearing the faint whisper of an apology as the secret doors slid open, and I proceeded down the steps and into the common room. My face was flushed, and my eyes were brimming with tears, but there was no one to see me. Everyone with common sense was at dinner.

I couldn't wallow in self pity, though. Flints paper was due tomorrow.

xXx

_Potter was the name that was coming out of everyone's mouth as they gossiped about the victors in the Tri-wizard tournament. The talking was almost a roar as everyone excitedly talked about the next event. Hogwarts was always a big school with tons of kids, but thanks to the new additions, it was even crazier and louder lately. _

_But I couldn't focus on anything else but that gold flecked eyes acrossed the patio.  
>It was a beautiful day outside, the lillies starting to sprout in their vases, and the trees starting the gain new, beautiful leaves again. It was almost even warm enough to not wear a cloak or a sweater, and a few daring souls actually did just that. <em>

_Even the red haired boy leaning against the stone of the fountain infront of me, his friends talking egarly, wearing their Potter support badges. _

_ And as I looked up from my book, my blue eyes caught his, and a smile slid over those beautiful lips of his. _

_xXx_

_"Are you sure?" He whispered, his voice tender, his right hand resting on my cheek, and the other absentmindedly tracing circles on my bare knees._

_ There was no hesitation in my nod as I leaned foreword, pressing my lips softly to his collarbone that was poking out of the unbuttoned top of his shirt. _


End file.
